Natalie Gee, the District 4 candidate who finished second in the June race, said today that she will not run against Supervisor Alan Wong in the November election.
Wong, after a very strong showing in the June election, has largely cleared the field to retain his seat on the Board of Supervisors.
Gee had been planning to continue her race through November. But after Wong’s sweeping victory — he won the race with a 65-35 margin — Gee reconsidered.
“This outcome was not what we hoped for,” Gee wrote in a statement. “But I want to be clear: we ran this campaign the right way with integrity, with love, and with an unwavering belief that San Francisco can and should work for its working families.”
Wong was backed by considerable sums: Nearly $1 million from third-party political action committees closely aligned with Mayor Daniel Lurie. Those PACs spent heavily to emphasize Wong’s partnership with the mayor, flooding the district with campaign mailers and digital ads.
“The odds were stacked up against us,” Gee said. “It wasn’t a fair race. We were basically running against the mayor.”
While June elections are notoriously low-turnout compared to November, Gee’s labor union allies, including IFPTE Local 21, SEIU 1021 and the San Francisco Labor Council, will also likely have other priorities in the coming months.
They will focus on helping to elect Supervisor Connie Chan to Congress, and will likely back supervisor candidates for open seats in District 8 and District 10.
Other candidates may still challenge Wong, but a campaign against him will be a long shot. Candidates have until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9, to submit papers to run, or withdraw.
Albert Chow, the owner of Great Wall Hardware who placed behind Gee, with 20 percent of the votes after ranked-choice calculation, told Mission Local that he is still considering running. “I’m definitely leaving myself the option,” he said.
Jeremy Greco, who finished in fourth place with 8 percent, will run again in November. Greco, a largely unknown figure who has no political experience, was the only candidate to support keeping Sunset Dunes a park rather than reopening it to regular car traffic.
David Lee, who finished last in the June race, did not reply to requests for comment.
Heather Davies, who volunteered for Chow and Gee, also filed to run on Tuesday as a new candidate in the race. Davies was a supporter of the recall of former Supervisor Joel Engardio. Davies also strongly opposed the mayor’s upzoning plan to increase height and density on the Westside, which Wong supported.
Chow, who was also involved in Engardio’s recall, and ran on a platform of neighborhood grievances and frustration over the Great Highway closure, acknowledged that there may not be a path to victory ahead.
After Wong’s showing last week, Chow realized that the “angry” Sunset residents — whom he assumed would turn out and vote for him — might not be that angry about Sunset Dunes after all.
“I have to think about what new platform I have to consider, instead of completely relying on the Great Highway,” Chow said. “I need to find out if there is a message that can take hold at this point.”
‘“But I want to be clear: we ran this campaign the right way with integrity, with love, and with an unwavering belief that San Francisco can and should work for its working families.” ‘
“should work for working families” is progressivese for “throw public dollars at Local 21, SEIU 1021 and politically connected poverty nonprofits and call it a day.”
This is upsetting about Gee but she is right. With all that PAC money flowing from Lurie and his allies, it’s hard to fight back.